8 Ways Highly Successful People Plan Their Time
“People of accomplishment rarely sat back and
let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Leonardo da
Vinci
Highly successful people don’t wait and hope
for desired results. Success is never accidental for them. It’s the direct
result of preparing, planning, and aligning their time with their most
important goals.
Here are eight ways that successful
people make the most of their time:
1. They save their
decision-making muscles for important stuff
Obama only wears blue or gray suits.
Zuckerberg’s uniform is a gray shirt and jeans. Steve Jobs wore blue jeans and
a black turtleneck almost every day. Highly successful people simplify their
wardrobe. They minimize the amount of decisions they make on trivial matters.
Only a few decisions truly
matter. They’ve internalized that every decision doesn’t have to be
optimal or perfect. This frees them to make quick decisions most of the time.
They automate and simplify decisions.
They don’t think about whether they will go
to the gym. They don’t deliberate about what they will eat for breakfast. They
workout at the same time every day. They eat the same breakfast every day. They
use their willpower and flex their decision making muscles on the highest
impact decisions they face each day.
2. They have a
consistent morning routine
They create momentum at the start of the day
through consistent morning routines. Successful complete a combination of the following activities in
the morning: meditate, read, journal, exercise, prioritize their day,
envision a successful day, and eat a nutritious breakfast to fuel their day.
For example, motivational speaker Tony
Robbins takes a cold plunge to reset his system
and reduce inflammation in the morning. He also does breathing exercises and
expresses gratitude during a ten minute priming exercise. What we focus on
expands in our minds. Through his morning routine, he chooses to expand
gratefulness over fear and anxiety.
A precise formula that produces an effective
morning routine doesn’t exist. Highly successful people experiment with
different activities until they find the morning routine that fits their
lifestyle and sets them up for a successful day. They also create routines
for the end of the day…
3. They have a
consistent nightly routine
“Before anything else, preparation is the key
to success.” Alexander Graham Bell
Successful people don’t wait until the
morning to prepare for a successful day. They start the night before. They unplug from their devices, read, meditate, and plan for the next
day. They wake up relaxed and stress-free because they have already
designed the blueprint for a productive day. However, they don’t start planning
the night before.
4. They plan ahead
thoroughly
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I
will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln
One of the major differences between highly
successful people and average performers is detailed and strategic planning.
Successful people spend more time thinking about their big picture goals and
ideas. They zoom out regularly to analyze their lives from a 50,000 foot view.
This enables them to make key decisions
deliberately, methodically, and strategically. Average performers make those
decisions in a reactive mode while they’re in the thick of the forest of their
lives. Successful people plan thoroughly and reap the rewards down the road.
Their detailed planning provides clarity on
what they should be working on at any given time. They produce at high levels
because they separate the planning and creation processes. They don’t plan when
they feel like it.
5. They have a system
for planning
While Bill Gates was the Chairman at
Microsoft, he secluded himself from the distractions of daily life twice a year
during Think
Week. Visitors were banned during the
week. He read many papers (his record was 112) about Microsoft as well as
new ideas in technology during Think Week. The space and time he carved out
during the week allowed him to take a step back to review the projects and
ideas at Microsoft.
Greg Mckeown, the author of Essentialism:
The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, advocates conducting a quarterly personal
review to define your most important objectives for the next three months.
What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done.
Successful people regularly schedule time to review their priorities, goals,
and road maps to achieve them. They schedule time to monitor their progress on
key objectives and iterate their plans based on results and lessons
learned. They schedule their projects on a daily and weekly basis. They
set aside time to plan and strategize as well as time to execute those plans.
6. They prioritize
Successful people understand that if they
don’t prioritize their projects, they will be swayed and pushed around by the
agendas of others. They consistently evaluate their priorities and re-organize
the order as circumstances change.
Since their priorities are crystal clear,
they quickly assess whether a request fits into their big picture plans. They
cultivate the habit of turning down requests that don’t align with their most
valued goals. They learn to say no in a firm and graceful manner to requests
that don’t fit their plans.
Effectiveness trumps efficiency for them.
They focus on working on the right things over getting more done. They strive
to produce at their highest quality for their highest priorities.
7. They focus on
important projects
“Most of us spend too much time on what is
urgent and not enough time on what is important.” Stephen R. Covey
In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People, Covey lays out a quadrant with the following categories: urgent and
important, not urgent and important, urgent and not important, and not urgent
and not important. The quadrant where you spend the majority of your time
determines your life’s destiny.Average performers live in the urgent quadrants.
They are constantly putting out fires.
On the other hand, highly successful people
focus on activities that are important and not urgent. These activities don’t
yield instant results. However, they produce massive long-term results.
8. They work on the
most important project first
Willpower is a limited resource. As we make
decisions, run errands, and work on various projects throughout the day, our
willpower is depleted. Successful people leverage the full tank of willpower in
the morning by working on their most important project first.
In the morning, the stresses and obstacles
that arise throughout the day haven’t cluttered their mind yet. They take
advantage of their fresh and clear mind. In addition, they take advantage of
the lack of distractions in the early morning. They get a head start on the
world by making progress towards their most valued goal in the morning.
FEATURED BY JOSE RAMOS
http://www.lifehack.org/327177/8-ways-highly-successful-people-plan-their-time?mid=20151110&ref=mail&uid=687414&feq=daily
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